Category: Music

Today, after nearly 65 years of dormancy, the 70 member Saint Augustine Community Band is back in full force. Members range in ages from 16 to 80 including high school students, amateurs and semi-professionals from all walks of life. The band was re-formed in September of 2015 under the baton of Maestro Geoffrey S. Magnani, who retired in Saint Augustine from New York State. There were 38 members in the initial group but within the year the membership has blossomed to 70 and still growing. The goal is to offer instrumentalists in Saint Augustine and surrounding areas an opportunity to play in a band that is based in the city known for its rich heritage, culture and history. Members come from as far as Jacksonville south to Palatka to play in the band.

The May 19th concert wrapped up the St. Augustine Band’s first full season. It was an evening of magical music consisting of everything from Broadway tunes to classical music to concert band favorites, including:

Dr Sarah Jane Young is currently on faculty at Bethune-Cookman University, Dr. Sarah Jane Young has performed with the Tallahassee Symphony since 2005 and the Pensacola Symphony since 2007 after having begun her orchestral career with the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra in Connecticut. After receiving her Master’s degree from Florida State University, Sarah Jane was selected as the Professor of Flute at the King Hussein Foundation National Music Conservatory in Amman, Jordan. While there, she served as Principal Flute with the Amman Symphony Orchestra and the Amman Sinfonietta, as well as the National Music Conservatory Woodwind Quintet. She has performed for both Queen Noor (Queen Consort of Jordan) and Princess Muna al-Hussein (Princess consort of Jordan). As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed in Canada, England, Jordan, Costa Rica, Belgium, Italy, Bolivia, and throughout the United States.

Galen Dean Peiskee, Jr. is currently a student at Florida State University, where he is in the process of acquiring a DM in collaborative piano. Before moving to Florida he worked as a freelance pianist in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex accompanying numerous faculty, student, and guest artist recitals at Texas Christian University and Texas Wesleyan University, where he was a vocal coach for two years. Mr. Peiskee has a MM in Accompanying from Florida State University, and an Artist Diploma from Texas Christian University, where he earned his BM degree.

If you attended the 1st Narrow Awards last year, you know it’s all about the community and not about winning! It’s just their way, once a year, to try and get the music community, and community, under one roof to celebrate the last year in local (mostly original) music. They changed things around this year, and featured more demographics. They again, featured a red carpet and photo backdrop, because our community is special. March 27th 2017.

St. Augustine’s EMMA Afternoon Concert Series presented the Janoska Ensemble in concert at Lewis Auditorium on Sunday, March 19, 2017.

The Janoska Ensemble is made up of three brothers (violinists Ondrej and Roman and pianist Frantisek) and their brother-in-law, Julius Darvas, who plays the double bass. The Ensemble members all hail from Bratislava, Slovakia, and now reside in Vienna. They have garnered worldwide attention and acclaim over their careers, and perform both as an ensemble and as soloists.

The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, located in our Nation’s oldest city, seeks to preserve and showcase the rich African-American history of St. Augustine. It is located in the historic district of Lincolnville, just 2 blocks from downtown St. Augustine. Friday and Saturday, March 10th & 11th were a showcase of jazz. Friday had jazz from 6:30pm till 10:00pm. On Saturday there was a jazz brunch at 11:30 am and live Jazz at 7:00pm.

On Saturday, February 18, 2017, the inaugural Lincolnville Porch Fest was held in Historic Lincolnville in downtown St. Augustine. This special music festival celebrated the talents of St. Augustine’s local musicians against the backdrop of one of the area’s most beloved historic neighborhoods. Performances begun at noon and concluded around 9 p.m.

Food and drinks were available during this event at the Corner Market, located at 97 Martin Luther King Street. Corner Market was serving wraps, veggie burgers, and drinks. Catie Rosie Cuisine was also on site, offering chicken wings, rice & beans, and other snacks.

Sisters Kimberly & Michelle Cann, “the newest darlings of duo pianists” perform a wide range of multi-cultural repertoire throughout the United States. They both made their orchestral debuts around age thirteen. Growing up, they accompanied one another, often won the same competitions, and played with the same orchestras and artists.

Kimberly received her Masters Degree from the Eastman School of Music; Michelle received her MM from the Cleveland Institute. The founding director of Piano Lab Studios, Kimberly resides in Asheville, NC with her husband and daughter. Michelle lives in Philadelphia, PA, and maintains an active schedule teaching and performing. The sisters began performing professionally as the Cann Duo in 2010, and have since toured extensively throughout the U.S.

Eric Carter & Company rocked the house, when they came as a guest of the Lincolnville Museum & Cultural Center in St Augustine, FL.. The LMCC is planning many of these events in the future. Those who missed it, missed an awesome show of incredible musicians that made the the center rock to their tunes.

St. Augustine’s EMMA Evening Concert Series presented the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine in concert at the Lewis Auditorium on Saturday, January 28, 2017.

The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine is considered one of the finest symphony orchestras in Eastern Europe. Formed in 1918 by the Council of Ministers of Ukraine, the orchestra has received acclaim and international recognition ever since. The orchestra was entrusted with premier performances for such composers as Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Aram Khatchaturian. Well-known soloists who have performed with the orchestra over the years include Yehudi Menuhin, Isaac Stern, and Artur Rubinstein, just to name a few.

Since April of 1999, Volodymyr Sirenko has been the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine.